Smoke Notes

Fabric have not only established themselves as a hugely successful "mega-club", but have released some of the best DJ mixes on the market, with previous volumes including James Lavelle, Bugz In The Attic, Stacey Pullen, John Peel and DJ Hype. This latest edition in the series however is the first devoted purely to hip-hop, with Queens resident DJ Spinbad cutting and scratching his way through a mixture of old school and modern classics. Spinbad has built his reputation on the back of some truly inspired DJ sets and his knack for creating cut and paste bootleg's of the highest quality. The album kicks off with cuts from Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz ("Deja Vu") and Nas ("Halftime"), two fine slices of New York hip-hop that set the tone for the rest of the album. M.O.P.'s brilliantly brutal "Ante Up" stands out, as does the inclusion of Ol' Dirty's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya". Further in the mix we are treated to old school gems "The Choice Is Yours" by the Black Sheep, "The 900 Number" by the 45 King and Slick Rick's hillarious "Mona Lisa", cuts you could hear a thousand times and still enjoy, party tunes that in this context make perfect sense. Spinbad's method is to rock the party, yet also bring turntablism to the mix, and he is technically sound yet never loses touch with what makes the dance floor shake - what all this means is that we the listener are treated to brilliant DJ'ing while also getting our groove on. Spinbad closes the album with more essential cuts - Grandmaster Flash's defining moment "White Lines", Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's "The Creator" and Chubb Rock's "Treat Em' Right" - songs that define hip-hop music. Spinbad is a purest at heart, bringing a mix that works on several levels, a great lesson in the form of a fun and funky mix and easily one of the best hip-hop mixed CD's you will find out there today - and you won't be blamed if you press play again once this excellent album is finished. Recommended for any aspiring hip hop DJ, or for anyone who wants a decent slamming party album and has any kind of interest in rap music.